The Dragon's Curse by Joe Hill Review – An Epic Supernatural Epic Is a Tour de Force

Six oddball but doughty youngsters confront the path of a immense and dreadful supernatural darkness that has invaded our world from the deepest abyss of darkness. They are compelled to devote their lives confronting it, experiencing one nightmare after another in the ordeal.

An Echoing Premise with a New Approach

This is the plot, in essence, of the master of horror’s seminal work It (a standout in his career; no arguments). It is also the plot of the celebrated author’s heir Joseph Hillstrom King’s recent massive horror novel, in which six friends invoke the primordial, infinitely malicious beast the Dragon King from the Long Dark to aid them in overcoming some villains. Needless to say, their supernatural ritual has unintended consequences.

Acknowledging a Family Lineage

Joe Hill started his career making great efforts to remain separate from his well-known dad, adopting the nom de plume he continues to employ and eschewing in-person meetings with his agent (he bears a strong similarity to his parent). Yet with this recent release, he embraces it. Several quotes that deliberately echo some of his father’s iconic (that classic opening line); a moment that brings to mind a signature King element (a game of puzzles). In this epic story, Joe Hill takes pleasure in his family connection, and readers share in the joy.

The Cast of the Protagonists

Focusing on the companions: most are students at the imagined Rackham College in the New England state. We have Arthur, studious and gifted, deciphering Old English riddles in his spare time; the character Colin, affluent, sharp, and inclined to bulldoze those who oppose him; Donna and Donovan; the stunning Allie. Then we have Gwen, who remains outside their academic circle, but assumes a vital role of their group as they toy, partly convinced, somewhat doubtful, in the occult.

The Fateful Ritual

The protagonist finds himself, due to circumstances beyond his control, obliged to take valuable volumes from his cherished academic collection by a bunch of local criminals. This wounds his academic spirit, especially when he’s forced to acquire the collection’s foremost and chilling title: the logbook of adept Enoch Crane (put to death “for trafficking with the devyll in 1703”; the book’s jacket is fashioned from his hide). These young investigators peruse the diary, discover they could summon what Crane describes as a armoured devil” to aid our hero with his blackmail problem – and spend the rest of the novel enduring the repercussions. This ancient entity will certainly eliminate those troublesome local drug dealers, but they’ll have to choose a new sacrifice every twelve months or succumb to the dragon’s wrath. As our protagonist states: “You invoke terrible forces, all you get is further monstrosities.”

Genre Dexterity and Inventive Scope

Spanning forty years, the author shifts with effortless ease between genres: as the allies endeavor to address the predicament they find themselves in by, in different ways, picking people who are obviously evil to sacrifice, or searching for methods to kill the dragon themselves, we transition from suspense to shadowy tale, covert operations to affectionate subplot to fright. A standout transition was to a quest story, far beneath the surface under the English county, a part infused with the fantasy maestro that was magnificently horrifying.

A Rich Tapestry of Dread and Optimism

There are trolls – bridge-dwelling ones and digital trolls, properly scary and perfectly brought to life. We see enchanted blades and treacheries, heart-stopping scenes of courage and instances of appalling malevolence, both human and extraterrestrial. This is a remarkable achievement: a horror novel that is primarily a ode to the human inventiveness, and to affection and camaraderie. “We needed a story to believe and {now we’ve got one|presently we possess it|currently we hold it,” says this character as the allies sit around the table, getting ready to invoke their serpent into being with the force of their minds.

According to Joe Hill in his introductory quote: “This is dragon territory”. Ensure you experience it.